Alban Vineyards, Seymour's Vineyard Syrah, Edna Valley

So good, smooth, 2 hrs decant seemed fine. Still tasting it the next day.

2002 vintage

A superb wine but a horrible cork. Struggled with the cork which ended up coming out in pieces. The waiter fortunately had a fine strainer when he decanted the wine. Lovely fruit with primarily blueberries and blackberries. A more elegant body than most syrahs. Long finish. Sadly only one bottle remaining in cellar. No hurry to drink it though!

2002 vintage

Bottle tasted along side a Guigal Mouline 1992 and paired with a squab. Nose is typical syrah, with cherry, pepper, bacon. It is very deep and opulent. It also smells sweeter than the Mouline. The palate is super long, smooth, intricate, polished tanins and fresh. Again, there is a bit of sweetness which helped our table to guess that it was new world. The wine is in the zone and should stay there for a while. The Mouline was more …

1998 vintage

The last of my 1998's (So sad). The nose on this was a bit more funky than the last two. My reaction after going in for a strong sniff was like a punch in the face. No off-putting, just intense. The palate was much more refined with black fruits and layered flavors of tobacco, meats, and peppe. The drinking window says that this is near the end, but I would say it has a few more years.

1998 vintage

Aromas of ripe, dark fruit, dried herbs and a hint of white pepper. On the palate: dark berry and cherry fruit, soy and a touch of cedar. Long finish that leaves you wanting more. Label says 16% alcohol, which made me nervous. But it didn’t show. Not hot at all.

2002 vintage

Tuesday Night Double Blind $50+ (Alpharetta, GA) : Black core with thin reddish violet rim, sediment; smoky, menthol, suggestions of olive tapenade, inky, very large scaled, powerful; sweet, black cobbler fruit, spicy, oak, dense, black fruit, aged, lacks some definition; not as good as I remember the 2001 being a few years back.

2002 vintage

6th Annual Christmas dinner and cellar raid (Naperville, IL) : Part of Christmas Dinner and Cellar Raid, didn't take detailed notes. This is getting to be a tradition. This blew me away last year and hasn't changed at all. One of my favorite wines.

1998 vintage

Annual Christmas Wine Dinner and Cellar Raid (Naperville, IL) : Didn't take detailed notes. Part of Christmas wine dinner and cellar raid. Besides the SQN, this could have been the most talked about wine of the night. For me, it was my #2. For some, it was over the top (oil). At 17 years old this is drinking perfectly and no reason at all to wait. I will seek out this vintage though not sure if I will be successful. …

1998 vintage

This is aging gracefully and one data point that ripe, concentrated youthful Alban can blossom to show more finesse and nuance. Gorgeous lifted aromatics are complex and precise with big but elegant black fruit, asphalt, black pepper and spice notes. Palate is full-to-medium bodied. The flavors are spice and herb driven with black fruit in the background as context. Great balance and energy. Long lifted finish. Blind this would be mistaken for a northern Rhone.

1998 vintage

Color: still nearly black as night; huge concentration -> dark concentrated ruby rim. Wow, this is just stellar; WOTN for myself and guests at dinner (even the wife admitted it was better than the Corini). Massive bouquet of blackberries, cassis, minerals, iodine, crude oil and black angus barbecue sauce. Expected a fruit bomb on the palate and was really surprised by how smooth and approachable this was. Minerals, smoke, barbecue sauce, a hint of violet/perfume woven into a massively structured, …

2002 vintage

This was an absolute monster, with a huge brooding nose of rich black fruits, lavender and pie crust, the attack is silky but heavy, loaded with ripe plums, blackberry, currant and a hint of fig. I think this is in a very good place right now but has years of life ahead as well. Simply decadent and delicious wine!

2002 vintage

Huge, rich, ready, long finish and not over-powering. One taste and you know this will be something very special, spectacular in fact. All the dark fruit in the world, very concentrated. Enough said, we don't have more. If you have nay this wine is ready drink now. Pick your moment carefully, it deserves a very setting where it can be appreciated.

2002 vintage

THis was an absolutely fantastic bottle of wine. Everyone who drank it with me just couldn't stop talking about it! I haven't ever scored a wine this high!

2002 vintage

Really good, easily the best Alban Syrah I've had and the first that makes me think there's more to some of these wines than just big concentrated fruit. There's still plenty of powerful black fruit here but it's not immensely ripe and overwhelming as I've found in younger Albans, and there's plenty of noticeable development with strong bacon fat and leathery aromas and a savoury earthiness that emerges with some more air. Certainly a big wine, but well balanced with …

1998 vintage

A powerful, extracted and fruit forward wine with blueberry, dark fruits and minerality.

2002 vintage

Excellent.

2002 vintage

Super-concentrated. Powerful nose that reaches well above the glass -- blackberry and lavender. Palate is all flavor, no nuance. Spicy blackberry, with a hint of rocks/minerals. I can see how some would love this wine, but it is not my style.

2002 vintage

Still big - bacon fat and tar, but toned down significantly from where this was in its youth. Well balanced. Lush mouthfeel. Full, enjoyable wine.

1998 vintage

Saturday Tasting Group (Knightsbridge Wine Shop (Northbrook, IL)) : I have been waiting quite some time to sample the Seymour's Vineyard from Alban. Massive loads of fruit, bacon fat, earth, charred wood, volcanic rock and purple/black flowers. Super tasty aromas of dark concord grape, lush juicy jammy Kool-aid (in the best possible way). Notes of black licorice, a mountain of well cooked bacon fat, coal and a rich woody pepper dusted flowerbed. Palate is endless. Shows massive amounts of fruit, …

1998 vintage

At Bob’s: Showing well.

2002 vintage

Saturday Night Wines (Chris' Place) : Loaded nose is effusive, rich and complex. Aromas of ripe black fruit, pepper, herbs and smoked meat. Palate is full-bodied with loads of ripe, rich black fruit. Olives, herbs and toasty oak add complexity. Nutty long finish - is full flavored and rich. A wow wine.

1998 vintage

LA Conejo Valley Best American Syrah Shootout (Cafe 14, Agoura Hills) : Though on the tight side the nose does give off some nice violets as well as evidently rich fruit with herbal notes and some heat. Plush in the mouth with sweetness as well as some tartness on a finish that lingers in the mouth for quite some time. Lovely with plenty of room to get better.

2002 vintage

Bottle for HDR auction lot. Hugely extracted, actually ridiculously so. If you like this style you will go ape over this. Huge BB, smoke and sweet baking spices on the nose. On the palate simply a mouth watering fruit bomb. Delicous but insane.

2002 vintage

Bob

2002 vintage

Double-decanted at 12:00 and put back into the cellar. Opened and poured at 7:30. Wow!! Drinking exceptionally well with the extended decant, but definitely still a baby (glad I still have another). Nose of earth and dark fruits explode from the glass. Incredibly silky and expansive mouthfeel. Complex and layered fruits pulse across the palate. LONG finish stays focused and pure for 50+ seconds. As impressive a US Syrah as I have ever had...

2002 vintage

Manlin Steak dinner - Mel chose to stray from the theme with the Seymour's and we decided to forgive him! I am a huge fan of Alban and buy as much from the list as I can. I think he's the best of the best Rhone Rangers, and I actually think his wines are competitive with SQN. Up until now, I had never had a Seymour's and it was a revalation. Certainly apples to oranges comparison, but this wine had …

1998 vintage

Dark purple, nearly black. Powerful bouquet of smoke, dark fruit, with bacon fat around the edges. The palate is broad but less expressive than the nose, and seems to be in a closed stage, although it is still very rich and enjoyable. Very complex notes of anise, blackberry, and wood spice. Superior to the 1998 Reva but it doesn't hold a candle to the mind-blowing 2002 Reva. I've never had this wine before and so don't know it's development curve, …

1998 vintage

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Alban Vineyards, Seymour's Vineyard Syrah, Edna Valley

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